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For Immediate Release
February 28, 2025
Contact for Media Inquiries
Christina Villacorte, Communications Manager
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Civilian Oversight Commission
COC-PIO@coc.lacounty.gov, (213) 852-2430
Board of Supervisors Urged to Reject Oversight Commissioner’s Resignation
LA County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission Continues to Fight for Meaningful Oversight of the Sheriff’s Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission (Commission) unanimously voted to urge the Board of Supervisors to refuse the resignation of Commissioner Sean Kennedy and to conduct an inquiry into the actions of County Counsel that forced his decision to step down.
The Commission also requested that the Board invite Commissioner Kennedy to their next Board meeting to answer questions they may have about why he resigned.
“When the Board created this Commission, it directed us to carry out critical work to ensure constitutional policing and build public trust in the Sheriff’s Department (LASD),” Commissioner Patti Giggans said. “Instead of furthering our work, County Counsel is impeding it with pettiness, shortsightedness, and delays. Oversight delayed is oversight denied.”
At its Special Meeting on February 13th, the Commission voted unanimously to file an amicus brief urging the dismissal of criminal charges against former District Attorney (DA) advisor Diana Teran, who is facing trial for allegedly illegally accessing LASD’S confidential records on deputy misconduct to potentially share with prosecutors. Commission Chair Robert Bonner and Commissioner Kennedy filed the Commission’s amicus brief with California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal on February 18th, emphasizing that the Teran prosecution is being used by the Sheriff’s Department and County Counsel to deny the Commission access to Sheriff’s Department records that are needed to perform effective oversight.
County Counsel responded by sending a letter to Commission Chair Bonner opposing the Commission’s filing of an amicus brief and also irresponsibly accusing Commissioner Kennedy of making misrepresentations to the appellate court. County Counsel then followed up on February 19 with its own letter to the appellate court, asking the court to disregard the Commission’s amicus brief.
As a direct result of County Counsel’s personal attack on him, Commissioner Kennedy submitted his resignation to the Board of Supervisors, saying in his resignation letter: “The County Counsel threatening to report me to the court for making ‘misrepresentations’ because I filed an amicus brief regarding oversight issues – after public debate and a unanimous [Commission] vote – crossed a personal red line.”
“The County Counsel has made meaningful civilian oversight of the LASD nearly impossible by opposing all efforts to clarify the [Commission’s] independence and by advising the Sheriff to withhold requested confidential documents that the [Commission] needs to review to make recommendations about policies and procedures,” Commissioner Kennedy added in the letter. “I hope that this Board will encourage the County Counsel to support the [Commission’s] independence rather than continue thwarting it.”
Commissioner Kennedy has served on the Commission since its inception in 2016, leading its oversight efforts to eliminate deputy gangs and cliques from the Sheriff’s Department, groups that have personally harmed other Sheriff’s deputies, the reputation of the Sheriff’s Department, and the community. He also served as Chair of the Commission from 2022-2024 and is widely recognized as one of the most productive members of the Commission. He is currently the Kaplan & Feldman executive director and clinical professor at the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy at Loyola Law School.
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